This tool makes it possible to more conveniently handle the “selector” and other allied elements on a conventional M16/M4 family weapon when the selector and/or other elements need to be removed or reinserted. As will be appreciated by those in the gun repair trade, in the disassembly or reassembly of such weapons the handling of the selector and allied elements is a tricky and painstaking activity, greatly needing improved assist. This disclosed tool handily is a great addition and assist in such activities.
The description as follows includes directional designations such as up, down, left, right, lateral, transverse, longitudinal, top, bottom, vertical, and the like, that are taken from the perspective of a firearm (e.g., a conventional AR-10/AR-15/M16 family, style, platform, or pattern rifle and M4 pattern carbine, and variants thereof) as typically held and operated by a user. The description assumes the level of knowledge held by an ordinary armorer, gunsmith, repair or assembly technician, maintenance personnel, and the like for a conventional AR-15/M16 pattern rifle and M4 pattern carbine, and variants thereof, and the respective components and operation thereof.
During assembly and repair operations of AR-15/M16 pattern (style or family) rifles and M4 pattern (style or family) carbines (i.e., weapons), and variants thereof (referred to as “guns”, “weapons” or “firearms” hereafter), the fire control group (i.e., mechanism, assembly, etc.) of such weapons, e.g., hammer, trigger, disconnector (or intermediate sear), selector (i.e., safety selector, safety, or control member), auto sear for selective fire weapons, associated springs and pins, as is well known to those skilled in the art of the assembly, maintenance, and repair the weapons of the are often removed and installed (or reinstalled). U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,045,555 and 5,760,328 describe examples of the fire control components of the conventional M16 rifle.
Operations that require the removal and installation of the fire control group (FCG) components of the weapon, in particular the trigger, disconnector and disconnector spring subassembly (i.e., trigger subassembly), is problematic because the selector obstructs ready access to the trigger subassembly. Many repair and maintenance instructions recommend removal of the selector to provide the desired access to the trigger subassembly. However, the selector is retained via a selector detent and spring that are in the firearm lower receiver and which are retained by the firearm hand grip which is, in turn, retained by a screw inside the grip. The grip retention screw fastens into the lower receiver.
Unfortunately, the removal of the grip screw and grip, and selector detent and selector detent spring has a number of deficiencies. Such deficiencies include (i) the process is time consuming; (ii) there is risk of loss of components, especially loss of the relatively small selector, detent and selector detent spring; (iii) usually requires repositioning the lower receiver; (iv) risks stripping the grip screw threads in the lower receiver which generally ruins or requires expensive repair to the lower receiver; and (vi) when a Allen head grip screw is used to retain the grip as is common in some commercial weapons, requires a special, long reach Allen wrench which is often an additional expense.
Because of such deficiencies, a number of alternative conventional approaches have been implemented to remove and reinstall the selector without removing the grip (and the selector detent and selector detent spring). Selector removal can be performed by cocking the hammer or otherwise depressing the rear of the trigger and rotating the selector to a position intermediate to the ‘safe’ and ‘fire’ (or ‘semi’) detent hole locations, and then pressing the selector out (that is, to the left). The step of pressing the selector out is generally aided by the use of a non-scratching, cylindrically shaped tool having a diameter less than the diameter of the selector such as a wooden or plastic dowel, a push tool (for example, a pin push tool as shown in FIG. 1), or the like. Re-installation of the selector with the detent still in place is; however, typically more problematic. Conventional alternatives to reinstall the selector, with the respective deficiencies, have been used with limited success.
One conventional approach to reinstall the selector is to depress the detent with an appropriately sized flat blade screwdriver (or a round punch) with one hand, and with the other hand, the selector is held rotated intermediate to the ‘safe’ and ‘fire’ detent hole locations and slid to the right and back into place. Such a procedure has the deficiencies of (i) the detent is typically pointed and thus difficult to properly depress with the screwdriver blade or punch end which slips off the detent point; (ii) the detent spring is strong and so the detent is difficult to hold down; (iii) there is risk of scratching the selector or the lower receiver finish with the screwdriver blade or punch end; (iv) the lower receiver obstructs the view of the detent; and (v) the technique requires some degree of coordination, dexterity, skill and practice as there is difficulty maneuvering the screwdriver or punch and manipulating the selector in different directions and with different movements simultaneously.
Another conventional approach is to depress the detent with an appropriately sized slanted end tool similar to a tool that is sometimes used to install the firearm pivot pin detent; rotating the tool; and sliding the selector back in place. However, such a tool has does not have lateral support as does a front pivot pin detent tool, and hence, has similar deficiencies to the procedure of using a screwdriver or punch noted above.
Yet another conventional approach is to rotate the selector intermediate to the ‘safe’ and ‘fire’ (or ‘semi’) detent hole locations, and attempt to rapidly slide and wiggle the selector to the right and back into place. Such attempts generally only result in damage to the selector and/or the detent, and failure to reinstall the selector as selectors typically do not have a sufficiently and appropriately beveled edge to adequately depress the detent to provide for reinstallation.